FORMER health minister Michelle O'Neill and justice minister Claire Sugden faced criticism yesterday for not publishing the abortion working group report while they were in office.
The report on cases of fatal foetal abnormality (FFA) was completed in October 2016 – three months before the Stormont executive collapsed.
It was produced by an inter-departmental group set up by Sinn Féin's Ms O'Neill and independent unionist Ms Sugden.
Stormont previously refused to make the report public "until it has been considered by the executive", but officials yesterday said they were releasing it "on public interest grounds".
Last year amid calls for its publication, Sinn Féin said it should be considered "in the event of the executive being restored", while Ms Sugden said it should not be released "while the opportunity still exists" to form a new executive.
However, Ms O'Neill yesterday welcomed the release of the report, which recommends a change to Northern Ireland's laws to allow abortion in FFA cases.
"This report from health professionals validates all of that and what we need to see now is the restoration of the power-sharing institutions so that we can get on with legislating on matters such as this and all those other areas that impact on public services and the lives of our citizens," the party's deputy leader said.
Alliance South Belfast MLA Paula Bradshaw accused the former ministers of blocking its release.
"The former ministers with responsibility for this matter should have published the report before they left office. It is regrettable they blocked its publication," she said.
"There was certainly no public interest in refusing to publish information on this sensitive issue."
Ms Sugden strongly rejected the criticism. She said she supports the recommendations of the report, and the decision to publish.
"I'm not out for a quick headline. There was no reason for me to block it, other than to try and get a positive result," she said.
"People may call it blocking, but I call it giving people time to consider it with the aim of getting a positive outcome. Otherwise, why do it?"
Sinn Féin said the report was "under active consideration" by Ms O'Neill and Ms Sugden before the executive's collapse.
A spokesman said: "They wanted to ensure that any proposed legislation would deliver the support needed by families dealing with a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality and they planned to have this issue discussed at the executive. However the institutions collapsed in January last year."
He added: "It remains Sinn Féin's view that incoming health and justice ministers should bring forward recommendations to the executive."
